Steve McQueen's Bullittt

Good news muscle car guys and tough guy fans. Ford is going to be building a replica of the 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback GT 390 that big bad Lt. Frank Bullitt drove in the movie, Bullitt. Ah yes, I can hear the big block V8 rumble from that car growling through San Francisco's streets like it was five minutes ago. I love it that in a time where hybrids are king in a global warming conscious world that the Ford motor company says, "Hey check out this cool 4.6 litre SOHC V8 prize that puts out a minimum of 270 horsepower." American muscle baby-home of the brave!
Get ready for it folks because Ford is only rolling out 7700 of these gems. Why? So the value of the car holds and the ones they build get snatched up lickety split.
And can we talk about Steve McQueen for a minute-mister Frank Bullitt. You don't get cool tough guys like him Chuck Bronson and Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry anymore. Instead you get Ledger and Gyllenhall camping out on broke back mountain. (Not that there's anything wrong with that). But where are all the tough guys? Rugged dudes with bad ass cars.
Ford is not alone in the retro game by the way for Dodge is unveiling the 1970 replica of the Dodge challenger. The long nose hemi powered beast will soon be on a lot near you.
It just goes to show that for every action; Hybrids-there is a reaction: the rebirth of American fuel burning muscle. It's a happy time ladies and gents, its a happy time.

Smilin' Fool Smilin'

Me & Drums & Me

I've been drumming since I can remember and yet I can't remember ever paying proper tribute to my drums. Drums; those rhythmical cats that have never let me down. Drums are what I do, drums are what I am. I've had tons of lame gigs where the pay sucked and the beer was warm but it was never the drums fault; it was the gig. I once played Whistler mountain way up some dang gondola and literally...or near literally froze my hide off. I had to hold onto my drums sticks like they were clubs-knuckles white, teeth chattering. But I loved it. UPS once warped the crap out of my bass drum but she kept on playin' without so much as a complaint. Rhythm is everything. I owe so much to rhythm and I'll never get close to paying her back. I can only hope that truly appreciating the gift that I have will suffice as payment-at least partially. Rhythm is everywhere: it's in our walk and in our talk, when two people have sex, especially good sex what is really running the show? Rhythm baby. Hell there's rhythm when three people have sex...but I suppose that's a poly-rhythm but a rhythm just the same. I love drums and they tolerate me. What puts your tired ass on the dance floor but rhythm, that boom, boom, boom, chaka, boom, boom, boom. Babies seize it. They are drawn to it before we are. Wait a minute my math is off. Maybe we lose it and then get it back...yeah it must be that.
I have fallen off my drum throne, got stick splinters in my fingers and forearms and have even got brass cymbal shrapnel in my mouth mid live show. And yet all of that was on me. I own it. The drums were not to blame. I quit playing once in high school because I thought I needed more time for my studies...of hot chicks. When I returned to the kit she was like the sea-not forgiving until I put the work in. And that's the way it ought to be. I love the drums and they think I'm o.k. and I'm o.k. with that.
I played the drums at my mother's funeral. I felt as though I played like crap yet many in attendance said they were moved, some to tears. They say between 2000 and 4000 people were at my mother's funeral. When all was said and done the local newspaper reported on everything that occurred that day except my rhythmical tribute. I was furious until I realized that my song was heard by SHE that was meant to hear it... to feel it. I miss my mother. I love my mother and I know she hears every note I play. I love my drums and together we'll keep everyone here on earth shakin', movin' and stirrin'. And MOM, tell Miles and Mingus to get ready. Ya better grab Ella too. Also have Jimmy plug that axe in as well because I'm going to send you some rhythms that'll have the Boss keepin' the party going past heaven's last call!!!

Sheriff Carona..it ain't over yet baby

I love this story. You know, the one about Sheriff Carona the crooked law man who's now been indicted for corruption. I wrote earlier of his long time assistant, George Jaramillo who rolled on his former boss and buddy. He struck a plea deal with the feds a few months back and at that time they sealed the plea while the investigation was ongoing. Jaramillo or 'Big Jara' as I like to call him admitted to accepting at least 45 grand in cash and gifts while working under Carona. Big Jara got himself 12 months and boy is he singin'.

On a personal note an acquaintance of mine met Carona in a bar and said Corona was a great guy. Yeah well no duh! At the time he was A: in a bar boozin' and B: he was livin' large on extra bullion from his little racket and C: His marriage seemed to be working all while having a mistress in the stable who was in on the fix. That's a friggin' trifecta brothers and sisters. Legally speaking things are looking pretty grim for the old law man who not only deputized his non cop buddies but also got some of them concealed weapons permits but he maintains his innocence and so far I haven't seen him sweat. Is he going to drag this out until the feds offer him a decent plea or has the shiny domed ex cop got one last card to play? We'll soon see, and I'll be watching.

Celebrity News

Just a quick one here folks. It looks like Bobby Brown, Mr. 'every little step' took a step in the wrong direction. No, no, no he didn't do a bunch of drugs, get in a car and wrap himself around a tree. He's better than that. Actually Bobby B. was warming up during a sound check of his current tour and he rolled his ankle. Not as young as you use to be Bobby? Or maybe not quite high enough. Bobby,if you are on the straight and narrow living the clean life then shame on you; look what it got you. But if you were a tad dusted at sound check and lost your footing due to a cool buzz, then hey, party on dude! The powers that be in his camp claim that he'll be back on his feet in no time and the show will go on! Truth be told it doesn't matter what Bobby hopes at this point. It is his ankle's prerogative for now.

Akeelah and the Beerz

So I'm kickin' back with my better half and we decide to watch a movie. We had an action movie, which I wanted to watch and a cutesie drama; Akeelah and the Bee. Being the man of the house and a man of action there was no way we were going to watch the movie about an eleven year old girl from Compton High School and her spelling bee. No siree bub!
So after popping in the Akeelah DVD I headed to the fridge. I knew that for me to get through this Disney-esque flick I'd need beerz, to go with the Bee. Right from the start I'm in a bad mood. Why, you ask? Because during the opening credits this movie turned out to be a STARBUCKS entertainment production! Go back and read that last sentence if you need to. That's right STARBUCKS! I can't stand that over priced coffee shop that pillages the world's coffee beans and devours the world's real estate. I was immediately forced to down the rest of my beer and retrieve another one. I checked my supply and was happy to discover that the seven remaining delectable beverages were just enough to get me through the movie. Angela Basset and Laurence Fishburn were in the movie so all was not lost and in fact as the celluloid moved along I found that we were actually witnessing a very good movie...accompanied by very good Stella Artois beerz! My wife was very moved by this feel good film and she may tell you that I was also moved but in actual fact my eyes were not tearing up. In truth I had accidentally popped a beer cap into my left eye right at the end of the movie so it only appeared that my eye was welling up. It's the truth, why would I lie? To summarize; good movie, good beer, starbucks blowz!

China...Dude!

Hey what's the big idea? Another toy recall everybody. This time China has put GHB inside some little beads. This is the date rape drug people. Aw come on China what's going on here? Obviously this is not some sinister plot for I heard that the chemical was used to replace glue or something like that. An honest mistake perhaps. But if I may point my guns not at the Chinese but at the media for a second. It's great that they let us know about lead paint and 'roofie' drugs in toys but the buzz and scuttlebutt is what frosts me. It is as though they (we) are so proud of ourselves for exposing and criticizing the toy makers. The media act as if they're winning a war on toy makers...not unlike big brother who is supposedly winning the war on terror. And the masses-you people- huff and harumph and stamp your feet as if we are truly holy-er than thou (or them). Two things: We outsource and rush product to production and so sometimes you get lead paint and date rape drugs. Its the price of doing fast, cheap labor business. And second, it becomes increasingly difficult to take the high road with a nation that would own half of this country were they to call in their debt from us. It's as if ye of numbskull sits there and says' "Oh sure we've borrowed billions...almost trillions of dollars from you but if we made those toys, which we don't anymore we...we...we wouldn't use the roofie drug. That's for the kids in our institutions of higher learning. Oops scratch that last part." Nice rebuttal dummy. But I would argue that if our dollar continues to tank the way it is and we were in the position of building said toy for the Chinese-old Dr.Rocko in the lab might say,"Yo, Igor forget the good stuff, we're broke. Let's use the lead paint, its cheaper."
Don't get me wrong this toy stuff is horrific and the harm that came to those kids is very tragic and thank god it was exposed. But we are in bed with these people, in fact we have moved in with them and by choice, so lets keep the self congratulatory remarks and the snooty critique to a dull roar shall we.